


Little Fish

by casadefreewill



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel Whump, Doctor Pamela, F/M, Hurt!Cas, Lydia's an ass, M/M, dean is stressing, fish!cas, he's basically a person level smart betta fish, he's very small, just not thought very highly of, mer!cas, mermaid!castiel, mers are inteligent, owner!dean, pet!Cas, sick!Cas, they're pets, you know the drill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 17:15:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14217912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casadefreewill/pseuds/casadefreewill
Summary: Dean is the loving owner of a small betta mer, he pampers him with anything he could want. Dean's girlfriend Lydia isn't a big fan of all the attention and money her boyfriend has been spending on hispetand she intends to do something about it.In which Cas is poisoned and Dean realizes what he really cares about.





	Little Fish

“Hey buddy,” Dean approached the large table tank by the sunny living room window. He Knocked a few shakes of pellets into the tank before running his fingers through the water to get the small mer’s attention.

  
“Cas?”

  
When a small tail didn’t wind through his fingers and small hands didn’t grab at his, Dean leaned down searching through the glass for his small friend. After a few minutes of searching, Dean spotted the soft wave of Castiel’s hair between the crevice of two rocks.

  
“Guess you’d rather not play today,” getting up he wiped his hands off on his jeans “that’s all right. I’ll be back in a bit. Lydia wanted me to come pick her up at work, think she’s got a surprise for me or something.” Shoving his keys in his pocket and grabbing his coat off the hanger, Dean turned back to the silent fish.

 

“Guess I should just let you rest.” Dean gave a tank a worried look, “Hope your feeling alright.”

 

With that, he pulled open the door and left Castiel to lay quietly in the sand.

  
  
•••

  
Castiel let bubbles listlessly pass through his lips. His eyes felt heavy and gummy, like a thin film had covered them and made the whole world blurry. His body hurt, there was a burning ache in his stomach and he couldn’t seem to muster the energy to swim up to Deans offered fingers.  
  
It had to be whatever that bottom feeder had put in the water yesterday.  
  
_The worm was wearing a blue covering that day, it dipped low and showed off the large lumps of flesh that some of Dean’s species had. She was clutching something in her hand._ __  
__  
_“God, your a little freak,” the parasite leaned low and glared at him through the glass. He glared back._ __  
__  
_Castiel wasn’t sure what she wanted. She didn’t come over to his tank often, and even then she was usually accompanied by Dean. Dean had introduced her once but really Castiel had long forgotten her name, something with an L? It didn’t matter anyways._ __  
__  
_“Why Dean would rather spend time with you,” she gave him a disgusted look, “it’s unhealthy.” Getting back up, she tapped the glass roughly. Castiel wished she wouldn’t. It hurt his head when people did that. “Well, sorry about this, but your gonna have to get out of the picture.”_ __  
__  
_Castiel didn’t know what in all the high seas she was talking about but decided to level her with a disapproving glare. He was sure whatever it was, Dean would not approve._ __  
__  
_The snakehead then uncapped the container she’d been holding and emptied  about a fourth into Castiel’s tank._ __  
__  
_HOW DARE SHE!_ __  
__  
_“Let’s watch your filter try to get that out.”_ __  
__  
_Castiel watched the clear substance waver and distort in the water. That bitch! No one put stuff in Castiel’s tank besides Dean! And even then, only things they had gone over and Castiel had approved!_ __  
__  
_He rushed the glass as she put the container into her pocket, creating several loud bangs before she even looked at him._ __  
__  
_“Your days are numbered, fishbrain. I’ll be here to comfort him when his beloved little_ pet _dies,” her eyes hardened and she leaned in close to the glass, “and don’t think I haven’t noticed how he dotes on you. No more you means no more competition for his attention_ or _his money.”_ __  
__  
_Castiel pounded on the glass a few more times. Oh he wanted to rip her teeth out, Dean was already dating her, he knew that, if she was so worried about Castiel winning him back, well, maybe she never deserved him in the first place._  
  
She’d walked away after that, and kept Dean occupied for the rest of the evening. She even went so far as to tell him that she’d fed Castiel while he was out so Dean wouldn’t feed him. As a result, Cas had to go without food for the night because Dean didn’t “want him getting fat.”

  
  
•••

  
  
After he picked her up, Lydia had surprised him like he suspected she would. She guided him as he drove, but refused to say where they were going.  
  
They’d had a nice dinner at the new sushi place that had just opened up near her work. Then she’d pulled him off for a movie and bar, which had ended with them stumbling home and several clumsy drunken rounds of sex before passing out on the floor.  
  
Well, it was a Friday.

  
  
•••

  
His stomach clenched.  
It hurt to move.  
Where was Dean?  
  
He’d come home, or Castiel was pretty sure he’d come home. There had been a lot of noise, banging and clanging, jingling and giggling as two bodies stumbled up the steps in the front room. No one had come down for hours after that. No one had remembered to feed him.  
  
Castiel dragged himself out from between the rocks he had nestled in. Perhaps Dean had remembered to feed him before his left to get that witch of a woman. The food would be limp and taste stale, but it might help the hunger.  
  
Swimming slowly with small aborted movements across the bottom of the tank Castiel found a few pellets that the filter had managed not to sweep away. Holding it up in front of his face though, his stomach lurched. Perhaps eating would only make him more sick. Dropping the food he floated to his small alcove of rocks and seaweed and curled up to sleep.  
  
Maybe he’d feel better in the morning.  
  
Maybe Dean would take a five minute break from tending to that sea slug and actually come see him.

  
  
•••

  
Dean’s eyes shot open with a gasp. It felt like a stone had settled in his stomach...But there was a crashing sea all around it.  
  
He stumbled over his feet rushing to the bathroom where he promptly released his stomach’s contents into the toilet.  
  
After leaning his forehead against the cool rim of the toilet for a few moments he flushed it and rinsed his mouth out in the sink. Staring into the white basin, he still felt a twisting in his stomach, but not one of nausea. He was forgetting something, something important. Was it something he was supposed to do today?  
  
He ran some water and tried to scrub away to mucky, cobweb feeling of sleep before stopping suddenly.  
  
Castiel!  
  
Dean rushed back trough his room, Lydia crumpled in a pile of sheets and comforters on the floor, down the stairs and into the living room.  
  
Flicking in the lights on, Castiel’s tank looked empty. The soft bubble of the filter sounded quiet, even in the silent room, but that’s when he saw him.  
  
Castiel was floating, stomach up, along the top of the tank.  
  
No, no, no it could still be okay. Fishes sometimes floated like that when they were sleeping. It didn’t mean-  
  
It didn’t mean -  
  
Dean moved across the room as if in a trance.  
  
“Cas?”  
  
Castiel’s eyes looked glassy, his fins fluttering with the motion of the water, soft stomach just breaking the surface.

“Cas?” Dean reached in and stroked his exposed stomach, there was no response. Dean snatched his hand away, it felt wrong. He just stared at the listless mer for a few seconds longer.

There was a small movement in his chest.

Dean rushed forward to lean in close. Yes! There! Castiel’s chest gave a small shuddering breath.

Dean reached forwards again and cradled the small fish in his palm, rubbing his thumb along his stomach.

“Cas! Cas, hey buddy, would you wake up for a second?” Cas stayed unresponsive, not even curling into the cradle of Dean’s hand. Dean furrowed his brows, Cas would usually -

Suddenly the small mer convulsed, gave a cough, and was expelling green stomach fluid into the water. In surprise, Dean quickly dragged the fish’s small body away from the mess. Cas let out a pained grown and shakily dug his nails into Dean’s thumb.

“Cas! Cas oh shit, heyheyhey you alright buddy? No that’s dumb of course your not. Just wait a moment I gotta call Pam.”

Dean released the small fish before rushing to the kitchen, grabbing a bowl and the phone before rushing back. Dipping the bowl in the tank to fill it with water, Dean realized bits of vomit kept getting scooped up too. Huffing in frustration dean rushed to the downstairs bathroom and ran the tap until the water was the right temperature while dialing Pam.

She’d been the zoo’s resident fish doctor -- “Ichthyologist, Dean, I didn’t spend eight years on a degree to be called, ‘fish doctor,’” -- and had been the one to check up on Cas the one time he’d begged a chunk of cake off of Sam and gotten violently ill. It had been bad, and gross, but he’d at least been active and responding.

The phone rang a few times as dean turned off the water and carried the bowl over to the table with the tank in it. The line clicked as Dean cradled Cas’s limp body into the clean water.

“This better be important, Dean,” Pamela’s groggy voice filtered over the line.

“Well, you’re calling me by my actual name so I’ll make this quick. Cas is really sick and I don’t know what to do,” he interjected with as much pathetic begging in his tone as he could and prayed Pamela would feel his desperation.

“Hey there, keep your head on, hot stuff.” Dean let out the breath he was holding as he heard movement on the other side. “Go up to the front gate of the zoo, I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“Thank you so much, Pamela, you have no idea-“

“Eh, just be glad I know you and I don’t have to be in early tomorrow.” Her voice softened, “see you in twenty minutes.”

With that Dean was leaping up the stares back to his room. Throwing on a shirt, boxers and the first pair of sweats he laid eyes on He turned to rush out of the room.

“Wh’d yu doin’?” The sleepy mumble rose from the pile on the floor.

“Cas is sick, gotta go see Pamela, go back to sleep I’ll probably be back by morning” he stepped out into the hall.

“Wait!” Turning around a still very naked Lydia stumbled out of his room. “You woke Pamela up at, at” she twisted around to look at the clock “3:18 because your fish was sick?!”

“Cas isn’t a-“

“It’s a fish Dean, this- this- attachment you have to it, it’s unhealthy” Dean felt anger start to simmer in his stomach, the nights events already having frayed his edges.

“Look, you don’t have to come but I’m going to meet Pamela at the zoo” he turned and walked further down the hall and down the stairs.

“Ugh! This is crazy Dean! You’re crazy!”

He ignored Lydia’s pouting and hurried back to Cas.

•••

The water felt clearer, cooler. Castiel tried to focus on what was in front of him but all he could see was fuzzy white. Moving his hand he realized he could see his fingers in front of his face and pressing his hand against the surface in front of him he recognized the feeling of one of Dean’s bowls.

Dean had come by.

Maybe he was cleaning out whatever that wretch had put in in his tank. Maybe Dean had gotten rid of her for trying to kill him. Castiel smiled at that, he knew that greedy wore was only here for Dean’s money, she didn’t deserve such a kind man as Dean. After all this was over he’d definitely tell Dean what happened.

Suddenly Castiel buckled over in pain, his stomach was on fire!

He’d definitely tell Dean, if he didn’t die before the night was over.

  
  
•••

  
  
Dean rushed back across the living room and stared down into the bowl. Cas still lay at the bottom of the bowl, he seemed to have curled into himself more in the time Dean had been upstairs.  
  
“Hey buddy,” dean cradled the bowl in this hands, “we’re gonna go see Pamela at the zoo, she’s gonna make you feel all better.”  
  
Dean carried the bowl shakily all the way to the kitchen where he grabbed a ziplock bag, filled it partially with water and poured Cas and the bowl of water into it before zipping it tightly and heading to the door.  
  
This was gonna be okay, Cas was gonna be okay.  
  
“Can you stop for a second!?”  
  
Lydia stood in a night shirt in front of the door. Hands on her hips and scowling she looked ready for an argument.  
  
“Get out of the way Lydia, I gotta meet Pam in fifteen minutes” Dean moved to get to the door but Lydia moved with him blocking his exit.  
  
“No, you have to stop! This is a fish! You already blow half your paycheck on it!” Lydia was in full hysterics at this point. “On food, on toys, on fucking books Dean! It’s a fish! It doesn’t need to read!” Lydia was red in the face and breathing hard.  
  
“Okay first of all,” Dean felt the anger bubble up, fill his chest, fill his throat, fill his head. “Cas is not an it he’s a he! Second, he’s a mer not a fish, which means that yes he can and should read because it’s good for his mind and a way to prevent boredom when no one’s home! Same goes for the toys! He’s a person Lydia! He can think the same as you and me and it’s a shame he’s gotta be a pet but you know, rights and whatever! Now get out of the way so I can get him some help!” They were both red in the face at this point, Dean clutching his precious cargo to his chest and Lydia splayed, hands firm against the door.  
  
“Oh my god, you’re one of those sick freaks who loves their pets aren’t you”  
  
“Get out of the way Lydia”  
  
“Fine, go save your freak of a pet, but don’t expect me to be here when you get back”  
  
“Get out of the way Lydia” Dean stared her dead in the eye.  
  
“Fuck off Dean Winchester” she shoved him into the wall as she stormed back upstairs.  
  
Dean didn’t even watch her as he shoved his way out the door and to his car. Starting up the engine Dean placed Cas right next to him on the seat.    
  
“Just a moment buddy, well get to Pamela in no time”  
  
Stepping on the gas Dean booked it, leaving the scraps of his shattered relationship in the dust.

  
  
•••

  
Pamela was waiting for him at the gate when he pulled up. Jumping out of the car he clutched Castiel to his chest as he ran up to her. Motioning with her head as she pushed open the side gate he followed here to the zoo’s aquatic life clinic. They encountered a few security guards but an explanation from Pamela about having something to tend to in the clinic and a show of her ID got them through.  
  
When they reached the square white building behind the tropical fish display Pamela flicked on the lights and brought him to the back. Dean squinted for a moment in the bright light but hurried after her as fast as he could.  
  
“Alright let’s see him,” Pamela stood opposite Dean across a plastic table pulling on a pair of gloves and draping a towel over it. Moving closer Dean gently placed Cas on the towel and looked at her expectantly. Putting Cas’s plastic bag in a large bin of water for a bit before dumping him into it Pamela began her examination.  
  
She poked at him and turned him over, looking at his fins and gills. Dean had no idea what she was looking for, all he knew was Cas looked sick, limp, paler than normal.  
  
“He threw up earlier” Dean offered  
  
“Mm hm” Pamela rubbed Cas’s stomach. She then opened one of the cabinets behind her and pulled out a small swab stick. Gently pulling down Castiel’s jaw she swabbed the back of his throat and put it in a plastic tube. She then placed a small plastic square against Castiel’s tiny pointer and with only a little tensing as the sharp edge made the cut a few drops of blood welled up onto the sheet. “I’ll be back in a moment, stay with him” with that she walked into a room off to the side and Dean leaned in close to the table.  
  
“Hey Cas,” somewhere along the way Cas must have woken up because he blinked slowly up at Dean, but other than that he didn’t move. Dean tried to put on a smile but it hurt and his eyes felt hot. “Hey buddy, glad your back with me”

  
  
•••

  
  
Dean was here, Castiel gazed up into the large beautiful face looming above him, Dean had come to spend time with him again. Castiel gave him a wain smile, it was weak but really it felt like all he could manage at this point. Fat drops of water were running down Dean’s face, he was . . . crying? Why was he sad? She wasn’t here so it was probably that eel’s fault, whatever it was he’d make sure to drench her the next time she walked by his tank.  
  
He continued to stare up at Dean until he dropped under the water at the sound of a door closing and saw a dark haired woman walk in. That was Pam, or something. Cas thought he saw her come over sometimes when Dean had parties, and there was that one time he’d foolishly coerced Sam out of a peace of cake. She was a fish doctor or something, he thought that’s what Dean had called her anyway. He watched her face ripple in the water’s surface as she walked around the side of the tank he was in. She way saying something to Dean.  
  
He still hurt all over and his head felt hazy but angling his head he floated up until his ear broke the water surface.  
  
“-istem”  
  
“What! How!” Dean was clutching the side of the examination table.  
  
“It was probably ingested,” Pamela was motioning to a sheet of paper she held out for Dean to see. This seemed important but Castiel’s eyes kept slipping closed and the words started to fade in and out.  
  
“though if .  . . of . . .  . . in the water . . . could have . .  . . . . . .”  
  
“.  . . how . . .  . . . . .out of him!”  
  
“Clean the . . . get . .  . . .”  
  
“.   . . Bitch! . . . new .   . . . . “  
  
And Castiel drifted off.

  
  
•••

  
  
Dean paced back and forth in the main examination room. Castiel had been taken to a back room so Pamela could filter his blood, or something like that. She’d said there had been poison in it, and a bit on the back of his throat, most likely explanation, someone had put something in his water. Only one person had been near Cas in the last few days. But why would she, yeah she didn’t seem to like Cas very much but to poison him? Maybe it wasn’t deliberate, maybe she’d made a mistake when giving him food, maybe she’d touched something and forgot to wash her hands before sticking them in Cas’s tank. Lydia wasn’t a bad person, she wouldn’t do that. Would she? Dean made a sharp turn as the sound of the side door echoed through the empty room.  
  
“Is he ok?” Dean rushes over as Pamela held out a new plastic bag filled with water, and in the center was Castiel, resting lazily.  
  
“He’ll be a little tired for a bit but all the bad stuff should be out of his system” Dean brought the bag close and cradled it in his arms. “Now when you get home, you can leave him in the bag while you clean out his tank but you have to make sure to wash everything, take a hose to it, rinse the rocks through a colander, clean everything” she was guiding them towards the exit at this point. “After you put everything back in and re-introduce him to the tank give him a few days and he should be back to normal, and I know he begs but don’t go giving him treats now, we don’t need any fat buildup in his organs to deal with either”  
  
Dean gave snorted, “yeah yeah I know,” he lifted the bag high enough that he and Cas were eye to eye “don’t think you’re gonna get any special treats just ‘cuz you were sick” Castiel clutched his heart and put on the most affronted look he could mange, before crossing his arms and turning away from Dean to settle at the bottom of the bag.  
  
Dean cradled the bag back in the crook of his arm and turned back to Pam.  
  
“Thank you, I-“  
  
“Don’t mention it, just get me something good next Christmas” She smiled at him and then slapped him on the ass.  
  
Dean stumbled forwards with a small yelp of surprise “Yeah, sure, I’ll think of something.” Situating Castiel more comfortably in his arms he shared a last goodbye with Pam before heading out to his car.  
  
No more Lydia. He’d chose Cas over Lydia. Maybe this was for the best, he leaned his head against the wheel. Maybe this was for the best. Things in their relationship hadn’t felt right for a while. Maybe what he had right now was all he needed, a stable job, an awesome brother, a family who loved him,  
  
and Cas  
  
He leaned looked over at the seat next to him where the small Mer swam slowly around the plastic bag. Yeah, he had everything he needed right here.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, if you see grammar mistakes please notify me and I will try to correct them as quickly as possible :)
> 
> my tumblr is [ here ](http://casadefreewill.tumblr.com/), for art and stuff


End file.
